Men's Hoops Falls to WestConn
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Western Conn. St. (2-0) | 46 | 43 | 89 |
|
Mitchell (0-2) | 28 | 41 | 69 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's basketball team dropped an 89-69 final to Western Connecticut State University on Wednesday night at the Yarnall Athletic Center.
WestConn's DaQuan Brooks led all scorers with 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting and added five rebounds and four assists. Wilburt Jarrett and Gary Robinson also scored in double figures for the Colonials (2-0 overall) with 19 and 10 points, respectively.
Senior Jenel Russell led the Mariners (0-2 overall) with 20 points on 10-for-17 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. Junior Mercury Fiske added 15 points and a pair of steals.
WestConn scored first on a jumper by David Addy and never trailed in the contest. The Colonials built their lead to double digits by the midway point of the stanza and took their biggest lead of the half at 38-15 with 3:54 to play. Brooks netted 16 points in the half to fuel the offense as WestConn held a 46-28 lead at the break.
The Colonials pumped the lead to as many as 26 points in the second half before Mitchell rallied to get back into the game. Russell scored 10 points during a 16-1 run that nearly cut the deficit to single digits. A layup by the Mitchell big man capped the run and made it 59-48 with 9:41 to play in the game.
Brooks provided the answer for WestConn, draining a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to stop Mitchell's momentum. The bucket ignited a 15-3 run in favor of the Colonials that ended any thoughts of a Mariners comeback.
WestConn shot 47 percent from the floor for the game and held a 50-44 advantage on the glass. Robinson and Addy each finished with seven boards to lead the way, and Jarrett contributed half of the team's six blocks on defense. The Mariners shot 37 percent for the contest but went only 1-for-9 from three-point range.
Mitchell will next host a two-day tournament on November 19-20 at the Yarnall Athletic Center. The host Mariners will face Green Mountain College on Friday at 6 p.m., followed by the College of Mount Saint Vincent against Mount Ida College at 8 p.m.